Joyce Brothers

Welcome to Southern California Living, The Times' new lifestyle section. Each day we are committed to bringing you a timely and compelling look at the lives of Southern Californians. With stories, profiles and photographs, we'll cover the topics of family life, issues important to women, working, values and giving to the community. New to the section on Thursday is Home, the place to come to for features on interiors, gardening and remodeling. Fashion and beauty coverage moves to Friday.

Next Sunday, the Times is launching a new section, Southern California Living. The section, which replaces Life & Style, will offer readers a lively, topical section with a fresh new look. It will be filled with stories, profiles and regular features on topics such as family, philanthropy, working and the Southern California home. There will also be expanded coverage of books and fashion as part of the weekly mix.

James Goldman's "The Lion in Winter" has lost most of its novelty over the years. But the right actors can still have some fun with it, as in the new version at the Knightsbridge Theatre in Pasadena. A thoroughly modern "family play" disguised as a historical drama, Goldman's text demonstrates that royal dysfunction existed long before Diana wed Prince Charles.

Time flies when you're having fun. It's hard to believe that another ratings sweeps month is about to end. And I think you'll agree that Los Angeles' stations deserve hearty applause for the way they've responded to this crucial audience-measuring period by taking the high road. If there has been one identifiable trend in November, it's been the increased tenacity of stations in boldly committing their news resources to promote their entertainment shows. Pretty darned impressive.

What's new on cable TV this season is what's old on regular TV--first-run sitcoms. Breaking its tradition of airing only comedies that are antique network reruns, USA Network, for example, is premiering its first original sitcom (8 p.m. Wednesdays starting Oct. 2), with Don Adams starring as a supermarket manager in "Check It Out." It's based on the English series, "Tripper's Day."